Disney Brings ‘WATCH ABC’ App To Four Cities Including L.A.

This is a big step in Disney‘s effort to bring its TV Everywhere app to all of the markets where it owns TV stations, and to Hearst’s 13 ABC affiliates, by the beginning of the fall primetime season. WATCH ABC, which enables pay TV subscribers to stream live broadcasts from their local ABC stations, is already available in New York City and Philadelphia. Beginning today Disney’s expanding the service to Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Raleigh-Durham. It’s not for everybody, and doesn’t go everywhere: Users need to be customers of Comcast, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Midcontinent Communications or AT&T U-verse. The app works on iOS mobile devices and the Kindle Fire — as well as some Android tablets including the Samsung Galaxy. You have to be in the local market to see the live, linear programming although travelers can access on demand some episodes of ABC’s daytime and primetime shows. The service should be up soon at the ABC-owned stations in Houston and Fresno; Hearst’s 13 ABC markets include Boston, Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Milwaukee. Disney says that it expects to announce additional agreements with station owners as the fall season begins.